The Crystal River

On the Gray Planet, Shiara became an electric pink cat.  She took a nice big stretch as she fit herself snugly into her cat-body.  Then she walked silently up to Geo where he sat deep in his trance.  She brushed her face against his side in a seductive fashion.  She turned again and brushed her body against his arm, just the way cats do.  This is fun, she thought.

In Geo’s fantasy, he stood up and looked again at his Canteen.  He loved his Canteen. He opened it and took a long, refreshing drink; it was the tase of grapes and currants.  “Better sling this over my shoulder so I don’t lose it,” he said.

He walked toward the river.  He marveled at the polished crystalline rocks of the riverbed, and he sat down to look at them more closely.  The smooth rocks in the side of the riverbed were like glass, and amongst the loose rocks the polished crystals were transparent balls.  

He looked at each one, noticing that there were images inside each of them.  He looked closer.  In one he saw a young woman with jet-black hair, sitting in an open window.  He knew her from somewhere.  In another he saw a blonde-haired woman; she was vaguely familiar as well.  In the next, he saw a pile of earth coming up in a mound, and then a mole popped its head out into the daylight.  Geo laughed that he would see such a thing in a crystal ball.  He saw a small, pig-like creature, working the soil of some strange land.  He saw a monkey inside a dark cave.  The monkey was bound with vines and strips of hide, and he was struggling desperately to free himself.  Then he stopped struggling and began to whimper.  Geo reached out to comfort the monkey, but all he felt was smooth, cold crystal.  He sadly moved on to another crystal.  He saw a tall woman with red hair and a gold tunic, holding a silver ball.  This vision upset him, and he did not want to look into the crystals anymore.

As he was sitting by the crystal river, a small gray bird with a red crest played in the branches above.  “Zeet!” it called out.

“Zeet!” said Geo, looking up into the trees.

He felt something brush against him.  He looked and saw a bright pink cat.  It was huge and sturdy as cats go, with large feet and thick soft fur.  Its eyes seemed to look at him with compassion.  The cat brushed him again, and he decided to try to pet it.  He reached out his hand, and the cat moved toward it.  Geo petted the cat, and it began to purr.  The cat allowed herself his attention for a while, for she had never been petted before.  It felt so nice!  After a while, she scampered over several of the mossy rocks, and Geo stood up and followed, wanting to pet the cat again.  But she kept moving to the next rock and the next.  He stopped and looked at the moss on the rocks.  It was growing even thicker here, and colored a deep indigo blue.  He began to think about forgetting the cat, and just lying down.

On the Gray Planet, Geo had stood up and turned toward the Couch.  Shiara, in her cat-form was leading him closer and closer to it.  His eyes were growing heavy, and he knelt down next to the Couch, preparing to lie down.  No no!  C’mon! You’re so close! Shiara thought to herself.

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